Tracing the Past
by Neko Kurai Chan
Summary: When Jak learns a name of a mysterious woman, he soon begins to see strange images of her. Who is she, and what does she have to do with Jak? Read and Find out!
1. A Strange Encounter

_**Neko Kurai: **"Hiya! This is the first of a series of stories I will be posting up. I hope you will enjoy this story (and I'm sure you will) because trust me... I'm just getting started X3_

_There will be more twists than a pretzel, so sit back, read and if you wish review (I would appreciate it) Enjoy! X3_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of Jak or anything Naughty Dog, 'cept for Valere, the young percursor monk (not the precursor monk itself, just the character) and Central Parkway (yes, I'm claiming a place...what?)_

**Tracing the Past: Chapter 1**

It had been two days after Jak had won the Kras City Grand Championship; they had all recovered from the poison thanks to the antidote they had taken, despite the fact the Rayne was the one who tricked them into getting poisoned in the first place. It was a nasty surprise, yes, but everything turned out alright in the end, and now all they had to do was kick back and wait for their boat to take them back to Haven City, back to where they belonged.

Jak pulled his car over near the Bloody Hook; everyone had arranged to take one last drink before they left for home the next day; it seemed everyone wanted to live it up a little; having your life on the line really made you appreciate being alive. He nimbly leaped out of the car, startling a few pedestrians that were near him, save for a Precursor Monk that was passing by. She stopped in her track, starring intently at him, almost studying; Jak felt a small blush form near the tips of his ears; he wasn't used to being looked at that way. He saw that she nodded, as if deciding something, and made her way over to him.

"Excuse me…" she said shyly as she approached him. "May I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." Jak replied coolly, folding his arms in front of him.

"Are you…related to someone by the name of… Valere?"

"Sorry, I don't have any relatives…"

'_At least… none living anyway…'_ he thought sourly.

"Oh! I beg your pardon, it's just…well. You look so much like her…especially your eyes…" her the Monk smiled warmly. "They are exactly like hers… so full of life and compassion…"

'_Compassion? Do I even have that anymore?'_ he thought to himself. He shook his head. '_No…I've seen too much, done too much, for that to even exist anymore…'_

"Sorry but--" he began, but suddenly stopped. Out of nowhere, images began to flash before his eyes: a tall woman sitting silently on a hill, her long green hair blowing in the wind; she turned towards him and smiled warmly; she raised her arms, as if beckoning; wanting to embrace him, but those eyes… the blue eyes stood out the most to him…

"Sir?"

Just as soon as those images came, they disappeared, as if they never occurred. Jak blinked a few times, gathering his thoughts from those images. When he finally had his thoughts together, the Monk was still standing there, looking at him awkwardly.

"What?" he asked.

"I asked if you were alright; you seemed to have zoned out."

"Oh… yeah I'm…I'm okay."

"Oh…well…um, sorry, for taking up your time…" she made the sign of the Monks to him and turned to leave. When she was halfway across the street, he had the sudden urge to call out to her… not knowing why…but…

"Wait…"

The Monk stopped in her tracks, looking back at him.

"What was her name," the words came tumbling out of his mouth, surprising even him. "The woman you asked if I was related to?"

"Valere…" the Monk smiled warmly again, as if the name alone was so pleasant a thought. "her name was Valere." and with a quick nod, she left, disappearing into the crowd… almost as if… she was never there…

Jak stood there, silently saying the name in his head.

'_Valere…'_ an image of the woman was before his eyes again, her blue soulful eyes standing out as they gazed towards the setting sun, her green hair caught in the wind in a eternal dance. '_Her name was…Valere…'_

_**Neko Kurai: **"Well, that was chapter 1; short, yesI know, but they become longer as it goes on. I'm going to post up chapter 2 but I will only post chapters 3 and 4 ifI get (at least) five reviews (if no one's interested, I don't see the point in uploading them) anywho's until then! X3_


	2. A Drunk Ottsel and Peanuts

_**Neko Kurai: **"Well, here's Chapter 2! Read on!_

_**Disclaimer: **"The same..."_

**Tracing the Past: Chapter 2**

When Jak entered the Bloody Hook, everyone had already started without him; they sat around the bar like yesterday, laughing at one of Daxter's stupid stories (or the fact that he was drunk and slurring the story made it even more funnier). Keira looked over her shoulder and her face brightened when she caught sight of Jak.

"Hey! There you are! We thought maybe you weren't gonna show…"

"Actually, Keira was about ready to go looking for ya," Torn added with a low chuckle. "She thought maybe some of Mizo's goons might've gone after ya…" Keira shot Torn a nasty look as Ashlin nudged Torn in the gut; Torn only grinned, rubbing his wounded spot.

"Sorry guys… I was," he sat besides Keira as Sig poured a glass of beer and set it before Jak. "Sidetracked…Did I miss much?"

"Only one of '_Orange Lightning's_' tall tales." Sig replied.

"Then I didn't miss anything." Jak replied, chuckling into his beer. Daxtar, who was already piss drunk, had laid himself down on table and was ready to pass out when he heard Jak's comment.

"'ey! Snot funny, Jak…I wuz…tellinem…'bout the time I zaved ya frum…that one yakow…'member…there w're 'bout," he looked down at his hands and held up four furry fingers. "five of zem…bad-boys…"

"Okay, how much did he have before I got here?" Jak asked exasperatedly.

"'Bout…" Daxtar looked down at his hands again and held up four furry fingers. "Three…(you have to understand that those mugs aren't exactly 'Ottsel sized'; one mug equals to two for an Ottsel, so that would mean…he drank about six 'Ottsel pints')" and with a loud belch, he fell back and went to sleep. Everyone laughed again and continued their talking. Keira looked over at Jak, but frowned slightly; he looked so lost and pensive; he wasn't even paying attention as Sig recounted one of his Wastelanders' stories (and Jak loved to hear those stories). As the others listened on intently, Keira placed her hand over Jak's own; startled, Jak looked up from his beer only to meet with Keira's soft green eyes.

"Hey… what's wrong?" she whispered, hoping not to catch the other's attention.

"Nothing…well…" Jak looked back at his mug; Keira squeezed his hand reassuringly. Jak looked back at her and saw that confident smile across her face, he couldn't help but feel his love for her swell within him; he couldn't believe how stupid he was before, he and Keira were made for each other; he always knew that…

"Hey you two love-birds!" Sig exclaimed loudly; Jak and Keira jumped in surprise to see everyone was looking at them, smug grins plastered on their faces. "If you're not gonna listen to one of my stories, I suggest you get your asses outta here; watchin you two makin' lovey-dovey at each other is makin' me sick." he said with a laugh.

"Central Parkway is not too far from here; it's a really nice place; go and take a stroll, Torn and I did…" Ashlin said, not hiding a smirk as she looked up at Torn suggestively. "Except it wasn't exactly a '_stroll_' but it was still a workout none the less…"

"Ashe'!" Torn face turned a bright red; Sig guffawed loudly and smacked Torn on the back. Jak and Keira laughed as well as they got up from the bar and made to leave.

"Hey!" Sig called. Jak and Keira looked back at them. "If you run into any trouble, you just call us okay?"

"C'mon Sig," Jak smirked. "We can take care of ourselves." and with a wave, they left the bar. Daxtar opened his eyes blearily as he looked around.

"'ey…where'd JakanKeria go?"

"No where. You're dreaming. Go back to sleep." Torn growled.

"Yeah…dreamin…" Daxtar looked up at Torn. "Man, you sure're uglier ina dream then yo're in real life…" and with that, he fell asleep. Torn glared down at the Ottsel but soon grinned evilly.

"Hey Sig…pass me those peanuts…I wanna see how many an Ottsel can hold in his mouth before choking on 'em…"

_**Neko Kurai: **"And here is where I stop. I hope you enjoyed it so far... it goes oh so deeper... Until then!" X3_


	3. So It's okay

_**NekoKurai: **"Ahh! I couldn't help myself! I love chapter 3 soooo much, I just had to post it (yes, how shameful of me...) anyways, this chapter is one of the best I have written (and chapter 5 is just a good!)"_

_**Disclaimer: **"You know the drill..."_

**Tracing the Past: Chapter 3**

When Ashelin said that Central Parkway was a nice place, she sure wasn't kidding. It seemed this place was what her father would call, 'The Patch of Green'. A place that wasn't overrun by buildings and streets; it was a wide area of greenery, filled with lush vegetation as far as the eye could see; there was even a small playground where some neighborhood kids were busily climbing the jungle gym to reach the top. It was such a relaxing sight, especially since the whole time they were walking here, Jak was quiet again, even more pensive than before.

She knew not to ask him again; when he was ready, he would tell her his problems, but still, the feeling of helplessness was so overpowering; was there nothing she could do to help her poor Jak? But that seemed to change once they arrived there. Even Jak seemed to have momentarily forgotten his trouble; Haven Forest was an eyesore compared to this place. Keira couldn't help herself as she took Jak's hand and led him across the field giggling as Jak almost lost his footing in a molemunk hole (a molemunk is a mixture between a mole and a chipmunk).

"Do you remember when we were kids and we tried to catch those molemunk's near the Bird Lady's house?" Keira asked.

"Yeah, we went to those holes everyday and waited for hours," Jak replied with a laugh. "Only to find that they had migrated somewhere else."

"And we were so sun burnt! Daddy was so mad! He left us like that for a day before finally giving us some soothing salve." Keira added, laughing. They passed by a small lake, where a fish leaped from the water and splashed some water at them.

"Remember when Daxtar caught one of those poison fishes and ate it." Jak asked.

Keira laughed very hard.

"Oh man! He couldn't sit on a stool for a month! In fact, we hardly saw him for that long!"

"Do you remember…"

"Do you remember…"

_Do you remember…_

It was like that for a few hours; they stayed there, wandering aimlessly around Central Parkway, reminiscing about old times; when they used to ride the farmers yakows around Sandover, swimming in Sentinal Beach, racing on the zoomers Keira had built; they even passed a wumpbee's nest where Jak ran as far and as fast away from it as possible, dragging a laughing Keira behind him. The whole time they were there, Keira noticed, Jak did not frown; he only smiled, a true and honest smile, something she had not seen since their days in Sandover, when everything was peaceful, when everything was '_all right…'. _

The sun was beginning to set as they sat tiredly on a small hill that overlooked the entire Parkway. They were silently, neither wishing to speak, only enjoying the other's company; Jak lay with his head rested on Keira's lap; she occasionally played with his hair or tickled the tip of his ears.

"It was about a woman…"

Keira looked down at Jak questioningly.

"What?"

"Before I went into the Bloody Hook, a Precursor Monk came up to me… she asked if I was related to someone named Valere…"

"Valere?"

Jak slowly sat up, pulling his legs towards him as he rested his arms upon them; he stared out towards the sun set, and the look of deep thought came upon his face again.

"I know it sounds stupid… but when she said that name… I started seeing some strange images in my head; it was of a woman…I think, of the woman named Valere…"

"Do you know who she is?" Keira asked, sitting down besides him, her curiosity growing. Jak shook his head solemly.

"No. But… the more I think about it… I feel like I do… and when I feel like I do…" he hid his face within his arms. "I feel this overwhelming sense of loss and fear… and sadness… pure, overwhelming sadness…" he looked up from his arms, and Keira saw that his eyes were now sharp and full of contempt. "I've felt this before… when I was in prison for two years; when I was pumped full of dark eco by Praxis" Jak's hands clench angrily. "I would stare at the wall of my prison cell, counting the notches left there by the last prisoner, and all I felt was that; loss…fear…and total sadness…"

'…_so it's okay…'_

Keira only listened in silence; he had never talked about his time in prison, not even with her father, he would never want to talk about it. In a way, she was thrilled: he was finally opening up to her, and yet she was also fearful; what could she say to him? I'm sorry…it's okay…what?

As if sensing her uncertainty, Jak stood up quickly, placing his hands inside his pockets in awkwardness and turned away from her.

'…_so it's okay…'_

"It's getting late…we should go…" he mumbled, setting off towards the entrance. He was mentally kicking himself; why did he open his mouth? Why did he even try? Keira looked so uneasy, just like before, when she had accused him of being a thug while he was working for Krew. Like when she found out about his '_darker_' self. He shut his eyes in sadness; it was going to be like that again...he just knew...

Before he finished his thought, he suddenly felt Keira wrap her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back.

"I'm sorry… Jak. I just…. Didn't know what to say…it scared me in a way; you were opening up to me, but what could I say? That it was okay? That you're fine now… I knew it wouldn't be right…"

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said curtly; too curtly. "I won't do it again…"

"No!" Keira went and stood before him, and he could see that she had been crying, here green eyes glistening with tears, making them look more green than he had ever seen them before. "No Jak! I want you to open up to me more! I know I wasn't supportive before, and I'm sorry about that, I really am. I shouldn't have judged you so quickly; I've known you all my life, and it wasn't fair that I thought something so stupid, but please Jak, open up to me! I don't want you to hold things inside anymore because…" she looked away from him, biting her lip. "Because I'm here…" she threw her arms around him, holding him closely to her; Jak blinked in surprise. "I'm always here, Jak. Even though sometimes you don't see it; I deserved that, I know, but I will always be here for you. I will always be here to tell you that everything will be okay, that you're not alone…because…."

"Keira…" he looked down at her, her shoulders shaking as she cried; he could feel a strange stinging sensation near the edge of his eyes.

"I love you, Jak…I always have, and I always will…" whispered.

'…_so it's okay…'_

'_I love you…I always will…' the woman was saying, tucking her green hair behind her ear as she lifted a small boy into her arms. Her deep blue eyes shown with love as she cradled the boy. 'because I will always be here with you…so it's okay…'_

"Always…" Jak whispered, the image disappearing, bringing him back to the weeping Keira, still pressed tightly against him. He smiled gently as he cupped her chin in the crook of his finger, lifting her face towards him; Keira heart fluttered when she saw his eyes; so full of love and understanding… so full of compassion…

"I love you too, Keira," he gently said softly, wiping her tears as he gently placed his hand against her cheek, which she leaned into. "I'm sorry that I made you cry…"

Keira shook her head. Jak could feel the stinging sensation growing worse; his throat clenched as if trying to hold something back.

"No, it's okay…I'm just glad…" she replied, smiling.

'…_so it's okay…' _

"So…it's okay…" he whispered and pulled Keira into an embrace; it could not be held back any longer; tears were streaming down his face. Tears from when he was in prison, when he was outcast by Haven City, when he saw his father die…

'_so it's okay…' the woman brushed away a tear that fell from the corner of the small boy's eye. 'to cry…'_

_**Neko Kurai: **"Didn't I say that it would be good! I just felt that it was unfair for Keira to be so judgemental during the Jak II game and that an apology was in order! Hope to get a review for this one! I reallywant to know what the reader thinks! Anywho, on with Chapter 4!" X3_


	4. The Dream that Decides It

_**Neko Kurai: **"Here's Chapter 4! I will have chapters 5 and 6 done very soon! I hope you will be waiting eagerly (I know I will…what? I'm aware that I'm the writer…yes I know the plots and what's going to happen…what?)_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own…blah blah blah…_

__

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**Tracing the Past: Chapter 4**

The Precursor Temple was so huge; he had never seen anything like it. The doors alone were 12 ft high and were of mahogany, the strongest type of wood. He did not know how he ended up there, but he was there. As he stood before them his curiosity rising, he stretched out one hand; as his fingers brushed them, they opened slowly. As soon as they opened completely, bright sun light blinded him; he raised his hands to block out the light. Once adjusted, he began to look around; the inside of the Precursor Temple was as lush as Central Parkway, yet even more so; flowers bloomed in clumps of all colors: reds, blues, purples, whites, yellows; Samos could not grow them any better.

A bell began to ring from somewhere and at once Precursor Monks began existing the Temple; there were men and women of all ages; some as young as seven, and some as old as 60. Yet they all had the same colored face of the Precursors, though their attire was entirely different from the ones used now. They wore orangerobes that billowed behind them as they walked They were all talking brightly, laughing; the children ran about the adults, playing a game of tag. As one of them approached him, he found that he did not need to move; the child ran right through him, as if he wasn't even there.

"Valere!" a voice called from behind him. Quickly he turned and saw the same Precursor Monk, except she looked younger, about 13 years old. She was waving and walking towards someone behind him. He followed her and saw that it was her: Valere. It was impossible to miss her; she was the only one wearing a baby blue robe in a sea of orange.

She was standing besides a fountain with her back turned; Valere looked towards the monk girl and smiled warmly at her; her green hair was pulled up into a loose bun save for her bangs, which fell across her face, making her look almost majestic as well as kind. She turned completely and he could see that she was pregnant, the contour of her belly shown through the robe that she wore. The monk girl stood before her now and was smiling happily up at the woman.

"How are you! Are you okay? Do you need to sit down!" she asked hurriedly.

The woman laughed.

"No, I'm fine… I'm a bit tired, but I can make it to my room without any trouble." she responded.

"Oh! I can't wait! When will it be born! I can't wait!" the young monk giggled.

"Soon I think," Valere replied, rubbing her belly fondly. "The baby has been kicking more and more these past few days; must be getting restless..."

"Oh! Can I feel?" the monk girl asked eagerly. Valere smiled and nodded. The monk girl placed her hands on Valere's belly and quickly jumped in surprise. "I felt it! How adorable!" she giggled. The bell rang again and monk girl looked away at something. "Ah, time to go; mediation time. My sister will be waiting for me." she smiled happily at Valere. "I'll see you at dinner tonight okay," she glanced down at Valere's belly and exclaimed again. "Oh… I can't wait!" and with that she hurriedly left. He and Valere were standing alone in the court yard now and he watched as she stared down at her belly, rubbing it affectionately.

"I can't wait either…" she saidas a tear trickled down her cheek slowly.

'_Don't cry…' _he thought, stretching a hand out to her; his hand passed through her shoulder. '_Please… don't cry…'_

"It's okay…" she said; he wasn't sure if it was to him or to herself. "even if the tears are filled with sadness…tears of joy can fall with them too…"

'_So…it's okay…'_

Jak awoke slowly, blinking in the darkness. At first, he wondered where he was, but when he heard a rustle of the sheets next to him and saw Keira, fast asleep in his arms, her bare arms shown over the white sheet; he remembered. After they left the park, he and Keira went back to her room; it was their first time making love. At first he was scared of hurting her, but she reassured him that it was okay; they held close to one another afterwards, Keira cradling his head in her arms until they both fell off to sleep.

He smiled warmly at the sleeping mechanic and brushed a stray hair from her face, lightly kissing her exposed forehead; she stirred slightly but did not wake. He felt a light tickle on the side of his face and made to brush it off when he found… that it was a tear.

Had he been crying in his sleep? He looked at his pillow but saw that it was dry; so then it was just one stray tear?

He sighed and rubbed his face sleepily; carefully sliding off the bed so as not to wake Keira. He trudged his way to the bathroom, shutting the door, turning on the lights quickly; he blinked quickly so as to adjust to the light. He turned on the water and splashed it on his face when he caught his reflection on the mirror.

Those eyes…

That Precursor Monk was right; judging from those strange images, and from his dream… his eyes were just like hers…

But they were cold…

And somehow… not as cold as before, he was sure of that.

He continued to stare at his reflection, even long after the sun began to rise, because he was not just staring at himself…

He was staring at her…

At Valere…

And it was this that helped him make up his mind completely…

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"I'm gonna stay here…"

"You're gonna _what_?" Torn asked, looking at Jak over his cup of coffee. Keira looked over to Jak calmly, yet her eyes betrayed her feelings of surprise.

"I'm gonna stay here." Jak repeated, taking a bite from his toast.

"What for? The Championship is over; there's nothin' here for us now." Sig added.

"Maybe not for you…" Jak replied.

"What's this all about Jak? I mean really?" Ashlin asked, setting her fork down. "Is it revenge? Don't tell me you want to go after Rayn?"

"It's not that; her business is her business; I… just have some business of my own here…"

"So what's this so called '_business'_?" Torn asked skeptically.

Jak sighed and set his toast down.

"It's… kinda hard to explain…"

"Jak--" Ashlin began but was stopped when Daxter came trudging into the room, his eyes blood shot and his tail drooped.

"Dax… you don't look so hot…" Jak said, hoping to change the subject.

"Shhhhh! Don't talk so loud! Sheesh!" Daxter responded, holding his hands over his ears. "I swear I could hear you guys clear across the hall; where's the coffee, my head's killin me…and I can't get this strange taste of peanuts outta my mouth…"

Torn and Sig looked to each other, grinning evilly. With the help of Keira, Daxter was on the table, pouring coffee into his mug. He sat back and gulped hurridly (despite the fact that the coffee was boiling hot). "Ahh! Good stuff…good stuff…" he sighed and set his cup down; oddly enough, he looked a little better. "By the way, where were you Jak? When I woke up this mornin', you weren't there. Do you know how hard it was for me to open that door! Every time I reached for the knob, I felt like my head was gonna split!" Daxter ranted, oblivious to the fact that Jak and Keira were blushing furiously, yet both had a secret smile across their face. Ashelin, Torn and Sig smirked, yet neither expressed their surprise.

"Jak says he's gonna stay here." Sig said quickly, tossing the hung-over Ottsel a muffin.

"Say what?" Daxter exclaimed, looking to Jak. "What for? Is this about Rayn? Buddy, you gotta let that go--"

"It's not that!" Jak said exasperatedly. "Look… it's has nothing to do with Rayn or any of the shit that went down here; I just need to… look for something. All I'm saying is, I won't be going back until I find out a few things…"

Torn sighed and set his mug down.

"Does it involve danger of any sorts?" he asked.

"Why? You worried about me, Torn?" Jak smirked.

"No. I just don't want to be the shoulder that Daxter will be perching his lazy ass on if you happen to get yourself killed while you're '_finding things out'_." he stated matter-of-factly.

"'ey! Wha' 'hat hosed 'o mea! (Hey, what's that supposed to mean!)" Daxter exclaimed, his mouth full of muffin.

"Nothing." Torn replied sarcastically.

"You got somethin' to say to me, Tattooed-Wonder.(obviously downed the muffin)"

"Only that you're a lazy son-of-a-bitch who's ideals of a threat happen to fall upon the range of, '_Itty-bitty whisker-puss'_…"

"Oh! You wanna go that way huh! Then bring it Tattooed-Boy!" Daxter threw his half eaten muffin at Torn, who dodged it and with a snarl, and brought out his knife.

"Why you piece of--"

Jak sighed again and got up from the table, heading out the door as Daxter jumped off the table; even though he was going to miss his friends, he definitely wasn't going to miss _that…_

"Jak…"

Keira had followed behind him (leaving Ashlin and Sig to deal with Torn and Daxter). "Are you…really going to stay?" she asked.

"Yeah…this is something I gotta do."

"Oh…"

"If you like, you could--"

"No. I wasn't going to ask if I could stay with you; this is obviously something you need to find out on your own…" she went up to him shyly and wrapped her arms about his waist. "But promise that you'll come back, okay…no more gaps between us, huh?"

"Of course, Keira." he hugged her back, resting his chin upon her head. "I swear I won't be long; I just need to find out who she is. The moment I do, I'll take the next boat home, okay."

"Okay…"

"Now, for a different matter…" He swung Keira around as she giggled happily, pulling her in close for a kiss…

"GET BACK HERE YOU ANNOYING FUR-BALL!"

"WHAT'S THE MATTER! CAN'T CATCH THE 'ITTY-BITTY-WHISKER-PUSS'!" Daxter was in the lead, his fur covered with butter and cream; for an Ottsel with a hangover, he was pretty fast. Torn ran out behind him, his face smeared with jam and bits of muffin (Daxter had tired the muffin attack again). Ashlin and Sig were the next to run out, and by the looks of their faces (not to mention half of breakfast hanging off their clothes) they were now a part of the war.

"I SWEAR I'M GOING BLAST BOTH OF YOUR ASSES! NO EXCEPTIONS TORN!"

"YOU CHERRIES ARE GONNA WISH I'D LEFT MY PEACE MAKER AT HOME!" and they too were out. Jak shook his head in annoyance and turned back to Keira.

"Do me a favor and make sure Dax doesn't get into any trouble while I'm gone, huh?" he sighed.

"No promises," Keira giggled as she kissed the tip of his nose. "But I'll see what I can do."

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The ocean was quite a sight.

Jak had driven the others to the dock, where their boat would be waiting. It was a fair-sized boat, painted blue that bore the Freedome Leauge insignia on the port; threeFreedome League guards awaited on board.Ashelin had ensured that they would return to Haven as luxurious as possible; being Baroness had it's perks. Jak helped Keira out of the car as Torn went towards the boat; the three Freedome Leaguer's saluted and lowered the port so they could board.

"Well, Jak. I guess this is where we part ways for now..." Ashelin said. "Keep in touch if something goes wrong."

"I can handle it."

"I'll see ya back home, Jak. I'm sure I'll have lots to do; the new recruits may have been slacking off in my absence; no doubt Jinx's ego willhave to be knocked down a few pegs as well..." with a curt nod and a firm handshake, Torn began to board the boat.

"Ask Keira..."

Torn stopped in his tracks; Jak chuckled lightly. "I know it's killin' you about what this is all about. So ask her."

"Yeah," Torn chuckled as well. "I just might." and with a final wave he disappeared. Next came the Wastelander; Jak noticed that Sig's face fell slightly when he caught sight of the ship.

"Damn, another Mar-damned boat. My stomach's just not cut out for this...I'm a Wastelander, damnit!"

"At least you're not doing as bad as Daxter," Jak pointed behind him; Daxter was heaving most of breakfast over the dock as Keira held him over. "Not even on board and already he's sea sick."

"Yeah, guess you're right," Sig laughed, though barely. "Hey, if you get into any trouble, you just call ol' Sig. I'll come as fast as a blink of an eye..."

"Thanks Sig."

"And don't be doin' nothing foolish, Cherrie," he looked over at Keira. "That Chili-Pepper really cares for you; don't let her down by comin' home in a casket, you hear?"

"Yeah. I know…" Jak replied as Keira caught his eye; she smiled warmly at him and followed Ashelin to the boat. "Keep an eye on her for me, will ya?"

"Will do, Jak." Sig said, slamming a hand on Jak's back in reassurance as he loaded into the boat; Jak staggered forward a bit but got his composer when Daxter stumbled over to him.

"You sure you don't want me to stay with ya, Jak buddy." he hiccupped. "What's an adventure without your, dare I say it, _sidekick_?"

"It's cool, Dax. I need to do this on my own. Besides," he nudged him playfully. "Tess'll be waiting for you."

"Yeah. Guess you're right…" Daxter said, loading into the boat, looking back at Jak tentatively as the boat's stern closed with a snap. Jak watched as the boat began to depart slowly from the dock; Keira went to the stern and waved at Jak; he waved back with a reassuring smile. He stood there waving until the boat was not visible anymore; he turned towards his car, hopping into it, and drove off…

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Keira continued to wave at Jak until he was only a small spot on the dock; Torn went and stood besides her, his arms folded in his natural '_don't-try-and-fuck-with-me'_ manner.

"So, Keira. You gonna tell us what this is all about? Jak said you'd explain as soon as we left Kras…"

"He's been having these strange visions," she replied, her eyes still cast towards Kras City. "They are of someone very important to him; someone by the name of… Valere…"

Torn's eyes widened in shock; his arms fell loosely by his sides. Keira looked over at him, a puzzled look across her face.

"Torn…" she began.

"Holy shit…" Torn muttered. "did you just say…Valere?"

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_**Neko Kurai: **"Finally! We begin the search for 'Valere' the mysterious woman in Jak's dreams, and it seems that our lovable Tattooed-Wonder, Torn, knows something! What could it possibly be! Weeeeee! Until then; see ya space cowboy X3 (I've been watching too much Cowboy Bebop…)_


	5. Familiar Faces: This Could Mean Bad News

_**Neko Kurai: **"And here's chapter 5! I'm sorry I took so long to post the chapter; finals are the pits! Oh! And on a different note: I want to thank those of you who have read my story; I'm so happy that you are enjoying it: _

kaa90

DFCC

CatWoman4Ever

Lockeli

Mioji Cooper

_you guys are the first five to review my fic! Arigato! Arigato!"_

_**Disclaimer: **"I don't own anything Jak or anything Naughty Dog…blahdy blady blah…_

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Jak looked over the tall building before him. According to some directions he recieved from the front clerk from the place he was staying in, this was Kras City's Office Of Information. Hopefully, what he was looking for was in there. He entered through the glass doors and approached an open window, where a husky looking woman sat filing her long red nails.

"Excuse me. I was wondering if you could give me some information."

"That's what we're here for." the woman replied sarcastically, not looking up from her filing. "After all, we _are_ an Office of Information." she set down her file (still not looking at him) and turned towardsthe computer next to her.

"Can you give me information on a Precursor Temple that's around here." Jak said, disregarding her answer. The woman finally turned to him and looked exasperatingly over her horn-rimmed glasses.

"A Precursor Temple? You serious?" she said.

"Could you look." Jak's patience was wearing thin now. The woman did not turn back to the computer; she grabbed her file again and began to work on her nails.

"Sorry. No Precursor Temple." she said dryly.

"What? You didn't even look!"

"Listen, buddy. I've worked her for 20 years; I should know if theres a temple here or not, and trust me, there isn't. This is Kras City for Mar's sake. You think we'd have a damn temple here. I don't think so..."

"Listen lady--"

"If you're gonna cause problems, I'll call security. So--" suddenly a hand shot through the air and was clenching her hand threateningly. The woman looked up to the man and flinches as his eyes began to turn black; purpled current was flowing through his body.

"What the--"

"I said to _listen._ I saw a Precursor Monk a few days ago. And you're right, this is Kras City, so why would a monk tolerate such a corrupt place like this unless there was a temple near by. So I want you to tell me," Jak leaned in closer. "is there a temple here is isn't there?"

"I--I--I'm n-not sure. We used to have ol-older files, but t-they were erased long ago, a-and only one person can hold on to deleted files--"

"Who is this person?" Jak growled. The woman looked about her in fright before leaning in closer (though not too close).

"I-I shouldn't even be tellin' ya this, b-but all information, new or old, belong to the main honcho of Kras City--"

"So I have to speak to who? The mayor? A Councilmen, what?"

Here the woman allowed a smirk to ease upon her face. "Mayor? Do you really think Kras City is run by a Mayor? I'm talking about the _real _head honcho…" she leaned in closer to him and whispered into his ear; Jak's eyes widened in surprise. He finally let go the woman's hand and stomped out of the building. The woman sat back into her seat and sighed with relief as she grabbed her file again. She saw that one of her nails had been chipped during their exchange. She frowned but shrugged as she thought.

_'No ones' ever gone to see a Gang Lord...and come out alive...'_

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Torn didn't bother to tell Ashelin or the others about what Keira told him, and asked Keira to do the same; she agreed without asking questions and spent most of her time aiding the seasick Ottsel. For the rest of theway, he had locked himself in one of the rooms, feigning motion sickness as well as fatigue and lay broading until they reached Haven City. The ship docked near Haven Port near dawn and as everyone stepped off the ship and went their seperate ways, Torn made a beeline for the barrack (to the disappointment and puzzlement of a very _frustrated _Baroness).

He had to get his mind off things, and what better way to do that, than giving the squadron a little _visit. _Just ashe suspected, the new recruits (as well as most of the old)had slacked off during his absence (the mess hall was in complete disarray; bottles of beer, food and even...clothes? What the hell went on while he was away?). Torn stepped inunannouced into the barracks, loaded his gun and shot into the air. At once, every last Freedom League soldier flew off their bunks, staring around the room wildly until they spotted their Commander; many of them wished that bullet had shot through them that day.

"Well! If this isn't the sorriest looking FL's I've ever seen! I'm gone for a short while and I come back to see my base in shambles, and my units living like hip hogs! I won't have it!" he glared icily at them all. "ATTEN HUT!" at once, all the soldiers assembled before their bunks in attention as Torn began to pace before them. "Starting now, I want every last one of you too clean my base until it's brighter than the sun. And I want the Mess Hall to be so clean you could eat food off of, because for the next 3 weeks, that's where you'll be eating your meals! Afterwards, we go on a three mile hike through Haven Forest to let you rest up until drills. Am I understood!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" they said in unison. Torn stopped his pacing. The FL's continued to stand in attention.

"Well? What are you waiting for! GET TO WORK!"

He had never seen his squad move so quickly. Torn smirked as he followed them out and went in search of the pyro-maniac he left while he was out...

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"So this is it?" Jak said to himself as he parked his car. His eyes wandered upwards to the top of the huge building. According to some information he picked up off the streets, this was where he would faind the Gang Lord...

The Gang _Lady_ as it were. He leaped from his car and made towards the building; every muscle in his body twitched with anticipation as well as anger; it was she who had brought him and his friends here in the first place and it was she who would endanger their lives all for the sake of power.

"Well, well, well…" a voice said from out of nowhere. Jak spun towards the voice and came up empty save for a light trail of grey smoke rising from out of a dark corner. Jak eyes narrowed angrily; he didn't need to see who the owner of the voice was, he'drecognize that voice from anywhere…

Razor approached him from out of the shadows, a smug grin plastered across his arrogant face. "If it isn't Kras's newest champion: Jak…"

"What're _you_ doing here Razor?"

"My, my. So _testy._ Is zat any vay to greet a friend, hmm?"

"You still didn't answer my question."

Razor chuckled and tossed his cigarette to the trash. He quickly pulled out a new one and lit it; he inhaled deeply and blew a large cloud into Jak's face.

"I should be asking you ze very same;" Razor replied, eyeing Jak haughtily. "it's not smart to be vandering around zis part of Kras City, especially if said person vas ze oneresponsible for the death of the notoriousMizo…"

"Is that a threat?" Jak sneered; without thinking, he began channeling the dark eco from within hisbody, sending it surgingthrough his veins, Razor oblivious to the violet current of dark eco shooting from the tip of Jak's fingers.

"Don't be ridiculous;" Razor scoffed, blowing more smoke into the air. "Mizo vas only my benefactor. So long as his check went through, I vas happy to work for him. Ozerwise, I didn't give a shit about zat bastard."

"That's pretty cold… especially since you've been his driver for years."

"Is it now? Do not tell me zat you honestly thought I vas _loyal_ to him?" Razor threw back his head and laughed spitefully. He sighed and mock wiped a tear from his eye. "Ah, Jak… it's zis zat makes me vonder how a man with such idiotic views such as yours could have survived the tracks…"

"Guess I'm just lucky," Jak grinned evilly; Razor's haughty expression changed to one of surprise; Jak's canines were longer and deadlier looking; he swore the Jak's eyes were blue, not black… "Or maybe you're not as tough as you claim to be." he popped his knuckles. "Care to find out?"

"_Alright boys, that will be quite enough…_" a soft british voice said from behind them. Jak felt his anger ease away; his canines grew back into place, to Razor's relief. Rayn face was hovering near them via floating screen. It quickly zoomed between them and the screen turned towards Jak.

"_Jak, what a pleasant surprise._" she said. "_I never thought I would see you again so soon_..."

"We need to talk." Jak said.

"_Yes, yes. Come up to my office. Razor will show you the way,_" the screen turned to Razor. "_Won't you, Razor?_"

"As you vish." Razor said curtly, tossing his cigarrette.

"_Excellent._" the screen began to float towards the building. "_I'll see you shortly then._" it called out before disappearing into building. Razor tsked loudly as he headed toward the door, motioning for Jak to follow. The building inside was the most luxurious building Jak had ever entered; even the Palace in Haven City was not this fancy. There was a huge fountain in the center of the building; a statue of Mar made of pure gold,Jak was sure. Around them hung artifacts that Jak recognized assome of the things Krew hadsent him out for.He did not have the chance to look through them thoroughly; Razor led him through many hall ways beforehe stopped before an elevator.The doors opened and Razorentered it; Jak made to follow, but Razor held out a hand.

"No, no, Jak. Zis is for authorized personnel only," he pointed to a door which read, 'Starcase'. "Her office is at ze very top; Flight 38, large door down the hall..." he smirked as the elevator doors closed and added. "See you upstairs, Jak."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Valere?" Ashlin exclaimed, dropping the papers in her hand. Torn nodded and leaned against the doorway. He couldn't dodge this any longer; despite the drills and all the yelling he did that day, his mind couldn't seem to be distracted from that one name. He couldn't take it; Ashelin had to know what was going on; it envolved her and it was killing him to keep it to himself.

Ashelin sat back, running her hand through her hair absently. Torn sighed and went over to her, pullinga chair upto her desk.

"I know. I was the same way when Keira told me…." he said.

"Wow…I thought I'd never hear that name again…" Ashelin whispered, closing her eyes. They sat in somber silence, as the world around them continued to move uninterrupted; to those two, everything seemed to stop by that one name.

"How long ago was it, Torn?" Ashelin asked, breaking the silence.

"9 years ago…this month…almost seems like a coincidence, doesn't it?" he chuckled, though half-heartedly; he knew she was going to ask him that question; somehow it wouldn't have been right if she didn't. He looked towards Ashelin and sobered up immediately; she looked as if to be fighting back tears. He placed a hand over hers.

"Ashe'…"

"It's fine. I just…" she looked away, staring out the window, and down at the civilians below. An image of a green-haired woman holding a crying red head in her arms appeared before Ashelins eyes then disappeared as she blinked. "I just forgot…"

"Me too…" Torn replied as an image of a 20-looking blonde-haired man appeared before his eyes and disappeared quickly. He stared down at the floor in shame.

"And yet…" she sighed wearily, pulling away from the table. She went and stood before the window completely, wrapping her arms about her. Torn got up and went to her, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. They stood that way, in their silent comfort as their minds reeled into long forgotten memories.

"You can never really forget…" Torn finished. "even if it's what you want to most…"

"Does that make us bad, Torn?" she asked, leaning against him. "Wanting to forget…" He rested his chin on her head and sighed.

"I don't think so…" **OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Razor scoffed as the look of bewilderment on Jak's face shown before the doors closed completely. He really did not expect to see Jak here at Rayn's mansion (yes, it's a mansion, Krew was pretty rich, you know...) and it angered him to know that he was here and that he had to see him so soon. Being beat on the tracks by a mere boy who stole his title as top racer made him rage as he never had before; he was known to keep his cool, even under dire situations, but this boy he just couldn't muster the effort. Outside he knew Jak did not see him and he could have taken him down with one easy shot to the back of the head...

But why didn't he?

Was it because, deep down, he was glad for the challege that he hadn't had since he raced against _him._ The one man he was never able to beat; it was sheer luck that _he_ had gotten into an accident that left Razor to become the new top racer...

Razor reached for a cigarette but thought better of it; Raynhad summoned him here personaly and he did not want to smell of smoke when he entered the room...he had to look presentable (and smell presentable)to the new Gang Lady...the _attractive_ Gang Lady, even if his nerves were dying for a nicotine buzz.

He looked up at the numbers above the elevator door; it read that it was reaching level 37. One level to go. Quickly he smoothed back his hair and brushed invisible dirt from his red jacket as the elevator came to a sudden stop. The doors opened with a _ping_ and he stepped out...

To see to his shock and bewilderment that Jak was standing by Rayns door, apparently waiting for Razor.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting here for 10 minutes." Jak smirked.

"How--what--" Razor sputtered. Jak grinned and pointed towards the door that read 'Staircase'.

"Just took the stairway, as you said..." Jak replied and turned towards the door; Jak had transformed into his Light mode and flew up towards the top floor, and just to make it fun, he stopped time for a few minutes. "Rayn won't be happy that you made her wait this long..." and without another word, he entered the room. Razor hand clenched angrily, and he could feel that rage boiling again...

"Razor? Aren't you coming in?" Rayn called from the room. Razor growled silently as he fought to retain his composure. After all...

He breathed in deeply and sauntered into the room.

He was here to meet with the new Gang Lady...

The _attractive_ new Gang Lady...

Once he entered and shut the door, Rayn stood up from her desk and clapped here hands.

"I thank you for coming, both of you. Even though I wasn't expecting you, Jak, it's still a pleasent surprise," she sat backdown and leaned forward. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure for this--"

"Lets cut the small talk, Rayn. There's something you have that I want…"

"Ah…" Rayn sat back on her seat with a look of impassiveness. Razor shot a glare atJak but remained silent."I see. Very well, what is it that you're looking for?"

"It's information on a Precursor Temple that was here some years back."

"Hmm…not very valuable information, but still information that's under my care…" she leaned forward, folding her hands proudly. "And what, pray tell, do you want this information for?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I'm afraid it is, Jak…" she rose from seat and went towards a tall filing cabinet; she rummaged around in there until she came out with a large file. "However, I suppose I could let this slip _once_… " she placed it on the table. "Here… it's yours. The only file containing information on that Temple of yours…"

"What's the catch?" Jak asked, eyeing her warily.

"No catch; I consider it atonement. Getting you and your friends poisoned and forced to race against Mizo for my own personal gain…quite unsporting of me… Ah well…"

Jak sauntered over to the table and grabbed the file.

"Thanks for being cooperative…" he said, looking to her. Rayn was taken aback by his stare; she looked away and blushed. As he turned to leave, he felt Rayn place her hand on his shoulder. Razor scowled slightly.

"Jak…" she began. "When I would thank you…after all those races…I truly did mean them. Do you believe me?"

Jak smiled and walked out of the room, the door closing with a quick snap. Razor walked over to Rayn.

"If you like, I could send my boys after him; get your file back…"

"No. There's no need. I'm a woman of my word…" she sighed as she went and sat back on her chair. Razor followed her, sitting himself on the edge of her desk. He pulled out another cigarette.

"You seem flustered;" he added, clicking his lighter shut as he blew a smoke ring. "How un-chic for a man to leave a woman in such a state…" he looked at her intently. Rayn blushed again and looked out the window. "You sure he didn't upset you in some vay?"

"It's not that, Razor. There was something in his eyes… something deep, almost powerful…" She leaned heavily on the arm of her chair, resting her chin in her hand; she watched as Jak hopped into his car and sped off. "Whatever he is looking for, I did not want to be the one that stood in his way…"

"Hmm…" was Razor's reply.

"Ah well, back to business…" she grabbed a file with theword 'classified'stamped across it. She pulled out a picture of a man with long white hair (despite the fact that he looked to be in his early 20's) that covered the right side of his face, with one piercing grey eye that had a scar over it. Razorimmediatley knew who this man was; he was thinking about him not two minutes ago."I called you herebecauseI need a 'job' done for me.I want you to send some of your boys to pay this man a visit… according to my fathers will: those who did not take part in the reading of the will, or the race, must be sought out and... well, you know what to do."

"Ah...very vell. I will see to it zat this 'job' of yours is complete." Razor rose from the desk and headed towards the door.

"Razor…"

"Hmm?" he stopped near the doorway.

"I never thanked you for keeping me in touch with what Mizo was up too, did I?" she asked.

"Madame, ze pleasure," he bowed. "Vas all mine..."

Rayn smiled and looked towards the rest of the papers in her desk.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Razor. Especially not with me..." she looked up from her papers. "But I leave you with a warning: Don't let your guard down...my father said that he was dangerous..."

Razor was already out the door when she said this, and he shuddered slightly as he thought:

_'You don't know ze half of it...'_

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Torn entered the abandoned Underground Headquarters, pulling a long cord so that a dim light flickered on weakly, lighting his surrounds. After the war, it was made into a storage unit for items found in the former KG barracks (items that once belonged to KG's that died during the war). Inside many of these boxes were photos, charms, lockets, letters and uniforms that were not claimed by families (if there were any alive). Torn was put in charge of putting these items somewhere, and he didn't have the heart to toss them out like garbage; they were once a part of someone's life, and to him, they still were.

Torn managed to maneuver his way past the mounds of boxes until he was near a corner, where a poster of Erol hung (his face disfigured by an Underground member with a red marker). He pulled the poster off, revealing a loose looking brick. He easily pulled the brick from the wall and revealed that inside the hole was a small box; he sat upon one of the nearby boxes, putting the box on his lap. His fingers traced the box lovingly, delicately and his sharp blue eyes softened as he opened it.

Inside were pictures; the top picture held a tall, gruff looking man with a black goatee and slicked back black hair; his blue eyes shown sharply through the picture. Besides him stood a small woman with a pleasant face and large brown eyes, her long brown hair pulled back loosely; in her arms she carried a small boy with short brown hair, his face lit happily, yet his own blue eyes shown just as sharply as the man's. Torn turned to the next picture, and this one was of the same man, yet he was smiling as he held the boy in his lap as the boy pulled at his goatee. The next, of the man and woman in each other's arms, then of the boy alone, and so on and so forth...

Many of them were torn and burnt, even to a point where you could not really tell if it was a picture or not (but when looked at closely, you could tell) as well as worn by constant handling of its owner. Torn flipped through many of them until he stumbled across a familiar photo, this one newer and better handled that the rest. In this one, the boy was now a sallow-looking, puberty struck teenager. He looked very much like the man in the earlier photos, but his eyes were large like the woman's yet still as blue and still as sharp; on his left was a grumpy-looking red haired teen about his age and to his right, was a blondish teen of the same age. They were all wearing blue uniforms with the KG symbol stitched over the right side of their shirts.

The blondish teen grinned up at him through the photo, throwing a big thumbs up as he leaned against the brown haired teen in the middle; against his best friend. Torn's broke into a light chuckle, recalling how foolish they looked as they took that photo, his eyes lingering on the face of the blondish teen… the face of his best friend. He turning to the next one and found it; the one he was searching for. This one held a picture of a woman in her late 20's. She was leaning against the wall of the barracks, grinning widelywith her arms around a young (and familiar) red-head girl with green eyes. The woman had her green hair pulled back loosely; she had deep blue eyes…

"Valere…" Torn whispered, breaking the silence of memories; it startled him, somewhat. He never thought he'd ever hear himself say that name again. Not since that day…

The next picture was of Valere, this time playfully ruffling the hair of the blondish teen, who looked flushed yet deeply pleased at the attention he was receiving.

"So many years… it's been so many years since I've looked through this box…" he said to himself, continuing to stare at the picture. "To think that I had you forgotten all this time, only to prove that you were never really forgotten at all…" he placed the photos back in the box, closing it with a quick snap. He sighed wearily, bowing his head as he leaned on his legs, as if all this reminiscing was tiresome. Something glimmered from his face before it disappeared into his pant leg.

"I'm…sorry…" he muttered sadly. "I'm so sorry…"

'_Commander Torn. Your assistance is needed in sector V. Awaiting your response. Over.'_ his com buzzed to life, startling him. Torn took up the com.

"Torn here. I'm on my way."

'_Roger. Over and out.'_

Torn placed the box back into its hidden concave, placing the loose brick over to conceal it once again. Making sure that a few of the larger boxes hid it completely, Torn existed the room, turning off the light and was gone...

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Hey, Boss!"

A tall white haired man, who looked to be no older than 20, with one grey eye showing as the other was hidden behind a lock of his white hair,turned towards the doorway where a tall, brown haired teen was standing.

"What?" he answered unconsciously.

"Closin' time, Boss!"

The white haired man sighed. "Chett, how many times do I have to tell you--"

"Don't call me '_Boss'_…" the teen finished with a grin. "Yeah, yeah…" he leaned against the doorway, folding his arms across his chest. "What's with you, man? You've been day-dreamin' a lot lately. What's up?"

"Nothing…I was just…" the white haired manchuckled lightly and shook his head. "Forget it. It was nothing important." he said, waving the thought away. The teen, Chett, tilted his head in confusion but shrugged and walked out, the man following behind him. The man reached out for his coat and the light bounced off his arm; it was metallic. He winced slightly as one of the gears inside stopped short, sending a prick of pain into his shoulder.

"Hey, Glin."

The man stopped and looked back at Chett as he rotated his metal arm; Chett face betrayed his concern. "You sure you're all right?"

Glin smiled softly.

"Never better, Chett." he replied.

"It has nothing to do with your _condition_, does it?" Chett added.

"No."he replied as he headed out the door. "Just...thinking about the past…can be tiresome sometimes..." and without another word, he left, the door closing behind him.

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_**Neko Kurai: "**Damn! I just love this story! I keep throwin' em don't I! One twist after another; will there ever be an end to this twisty madness! And an intro of a very important character! Don't worry about the twistyness, it'll end soon...or will it (shifty-eyed look)" X3_


	6. A Fateful Encounter: Meeting Glin

**NekoKurai:** _"Ahhh! I apologize a thousand times to my readers (bows continuously) I'm sooo late with the chapters because of my classes. (shakes fist at school)_

_(ahem...)_

_I hope you have not lost interest yet! I have the final chapter ready and I know you will all like them (also the other stories that follow 'before' and 'after' this story…X3 )Side Note: "Oh! And to that anonymous reviewer who said that I shouldn't post authors notes…": Thank you for telling me that those sort of things are not allowed, but I had to inform the readers somehow and that was the only way I knew... However, I would do it again if I had too! X3_

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Many of the bodyguards had worked for the Gang Lord for years and never had they seen such an attractive, and yet such a powerful looking woman come into the building before. Her dark sunglasses hid her eyes, giving her a mysteriously sexy look as she walked in through the doors with the air of some important figure; her long white hair hung loosely behind her and seemed to sway in an elegance only befitting of a goddess. She wore a simple, yet seductive looking business suit, the skirt showing off her long, slender legs as she walked by, as if in slow motion, towards the elevator. No one bothered to stop her, as they should have, being bodyguards, for two reasons: 1. If they stopped her, they would have to escort her out of the building and that would be the end of their fantasy. 2. Somehow they knew that they should not intervene in her destination, otherwise…they would have to pay dearly for it…

As she stepped into the elevator she quickly shot them all a quick smile that made their hearts beat faster, yet sent an ominous chill down their spines; the doors closed and their nefarious goddess was gone.

When the doors to the elevator opened, the woman exited with a long, calm-like stride as she made her way towards Rayn's office and with one swift turn of the knob, entered it without so much as a knock. Rayn didn't even look up from her papers.

"Just leave the coffee on my desk, thanks…"Rayn said, waving her hand in a dismissal manner.

"I didn't come here to serve you coffee, my dear…" the woman answered coolly. The hair on the back of Rayn's neck rose as that voice sent a shiver down her spine. She quickly looked up from the papers and her throat choked involuntarily.

"M-M--"

"That's right," the woman interjected as she sat herself upon a chair closer to Rayn. She removed her sunglasses, folded them neatly and hung it from the collar of her coat. Her icy voice matched her cold amber eyes as they stared at Rayne in a way a rich man would stare down a beggar. "I've come for that favor your father promised me…"

"Favor?" Rayn replied, her hands clenching nervously

"Yes," the woman said, tossing her long white hair haughtily. "As payment for helping him become the Gang Lord for this _'lurker pile'_ of a city. I said that one day I would come and ask for a favor from him." she leaned in slightly "Now, my dear. All I ask, is for a file that your father discovered thirty years ago…"

"What file?" Rayn managed to say.

"A simple file; nothing important," the woman replied as she examined her manicured nails nonchalantly. "This file held some information on a old Precursor Temple that was once built here many years ago," Rayne could feel the dread spread all over her body. "I want it."

"I…I don't have that file…" Rayne replied, that chill now spreading through her entire body. The woman looked up slowly from her nails and locked her amber eyes with Rayn's fear filled blue ones. She stood up slowly and gracefully as she strolled up to Rayn until she was practically standing over her; she was a very tall woman. Slowly she trailed a manicured finger down Rayns cheek until it was under her chin, which she lightly tipped upward to her; there was a gentle smile on her elegant face.

"You don't have it? Why, where is it?" she asked sweetly...too sweetly.

"I-- I gave it…to someone else…." she flinched as the woman grasped her face between her finger and thumb, the nails digging into her soft cheek painfully.

"Someone _else_ isn't an answer." the woman continued sweetly. "To_ whom_ did you give _my _file to?"

"His name is…J-Jak…ugh!" The woman's nails dug in deeper into Rayn's cheek, drawing blood. When Rayn looked back at the woman's eyes, they were colder and narrowed angrily, though she could see, that it was not at her she seemed to be glowering at. "I-I can get it back for you!" Rayn added hurriedly. "I know where he is! I can get it back!"

The woman then turned her angry eyes at her and let go of her chin, pushing her backwards so that Rayn fell into her chair. As if just noticing that her nails had cut into Rayn's cheek, the woman looked down at her nails, seeing the blood. Gathering herself, she took out a lacy white handkerchief, staining it with her bloodied nails.

"See that you do. I will be back in three days. If I do not have that file by then, I will destroy your empire just as easily as I created it…" Swiftly she put her sunglasses back on, straightened her clothes and walked calmly towards the door. Before exiting she stopped and looked back at her and said, "And make no mistake, my dear. I will destroy you too…" then she shut the door with a soft 'click' and was gone. Rayn fell back into her chair, drained from the fright; she closed her eyes so that she could calmly gather herself...

_'...I will destroy you too...'_

...but it would be many hours until she would be able to do that...

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

The Bloody Hook was so dreary at this time of night... almost depressive...

Scratch that, it _was_ depressive...

He didn't like it.

He didn't like it one bit.

Jak took a long swing of his beer, feeling the alcohol take its effect on him by easing his body, but unfortunately, not his mind.

The search did not go according to what he hoped...

**_(Flashback..)._**

Upon receiving the file, Jak drove back to the hotel and quickly began to read the information...

But all he came up with was a great big pile of nothing.

There was a list of the resident monks that lived within the temple, but to his dismay, there was no Valere in that list. Then he found a list of all the head monks of the temple, only to find, to his continuing disappointment, that they all had a huge red _'DECEASED'_ stamped over their names.

What he did learn, however, was why that temple was no where in sight of Kras City. Apparently, a group of roaming Metalheads had attacked the temple, and in doing so, somehow caused a huge fire that spread throughout the temple quickly. The majority of the monks had either died of the Metalhead attack, or were killed by the fire. There were a few survivors, but luck have it, their names were not recorded in the report. In agitation, he threw the file on his bed, causing some of the papers to fly out from it; one particular paper caught his eye. It was a worn parchment, yellow and crumpled with years, and printed on it was an odd form of precursor writing; for the life of him, he could not understand it; he had never seen something like it before…

But he knew someone who could probably translate it.

"Samos…" he whispered. At once he grabbed his jacket and sped off to his car where he was able to get to the nearest communicator to Haven City.

_'Hmmm…old precursor writing you say?'_ Samos said from the other line.

"Yeah. I can't read it, so I thought maybe if I sent it to you, you could translate it for me…" Jak replied. He had to drive clear across Kras to find a place where he would be able to call to Haven (the one in his room could not make it that far; he had tried on many occasions to contact Keira).

_'Yes, yes. Send it right away. I would like to see that parchment. I believe Onin had a book on something like that. How curious that I was just thinking about--'_

"Um, Samos…could I, maybe, talk to Keira?" Jak interjected, and rather timidly. He wondered if Samos knew about him and Keira. What would he say if he found out he and Keira had…

_'Eh? Keira? Oh, no, I'm afraid she can't come to the phone right now. She has been a bit under the weather lately…the flu I think…anyway, I'll contact you as soon as I figure out the transcript…"_

"Thanks Samos…"

_"And Jak…your search…were you able to find out anything about this 'Valere'?"_

"Nothing…" Jak replied, disheartened.

_"I see…well, continue with your search if you must…but remember, Jak. Wherever this search may lead you… know that Keira and I, as well as the others, will be here waiting for your return…"_

"Samos?"

_"I'll call you in a few days. Take care Jak!"_

"Hey, wait a--"

And the line was dead. Jak blinked in surprise as the dead tone on the other line.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did Samos know something…

_'This just isn't my day...'_ he thought as he hung the reciever back on the line.

If only he knew how right he was...

When he finally reached the hotel, he was in for a nasty surprise...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WAS EVICTED!"

The young clerk flinched as Jak slammed his fist on the counter in emphasis. "I JUST LEFT MY ROOM A FEW MINUTES AGO! HOW WAS I EVICTED SO SOON?"

"I-I'm s-sorry s-sir! Your r-room was only p-paid long enough u-until the season w-w-was over! T-the s-season en-ended to-today at two o'clock! It's two thirty already." he managed to stammer, hoping that the simple explanation would calm the angry Jak down; he swore he saw his eyes blacken somewhat.

"Then I'll pay for the rest of my stay!" Jak said, reaching into his pocket. "How much is it per--"

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry s-s-sir, b-b-but these r-r-rooms are not available now that the season is over! Since they are near the track they are reserved for racing teams that are practicing for next season."

"What the hell! But I'm the champion! Shouldn't that have some prominence! Can't you overlook it just this once!"

"I--I'm s-s-s--ahhh!" Jak had grabbed the young clerk by the neck of his shirt and nearly pulled him over the counter.

"If I hear you say, _'I'm sorry sir,'_ one more time I'm going to kick your ass!" he snapped. The young clerk eyes widened in fear and Jak noticed that his eyes began to well in tears. With a disgruntled sigh he let the clerk go and ran his hand through his hair.

"You know what, forget it. Just give me my things so I can get the hell outta here…"

"Y-yes sir, I-I'm s-s-s---" the clerk quickly placed his hands over his mouth and hurried to get Jak's things….

_**(End Flashback...)**_

And now he was here, sitting in the Bloody Hook, buzzed off his ass, wondering why the hell he bothered to get himself in this mess in the first place. He sighed and pushed his tanker of beer from him. Part of him wanted to go back to Haven, but the other part of him, the nagging, pleading, somehow curious part of him, told him to stay here, to continue with this, seemingly, hopeless search of this mysterious woman….With a sigh, Jak downed the rest of his beer, payed for it and left.

"Hey! Back off!"

Jak looked to where the voice came from and spotteda group of men standing near their cars, laughing as they circled around agirl. The girl stood tall and glared at the men, but he tell that she was scared. She looked like she needed help...

How fortunate.

He had a LOT of steam to blow... and his temper was near to the boilng point...

"Let go of me you asshole!" she yelled again, swinging the bag that she carried towards her agressor's head. The man easily dodged it (she swung it slowly, as if it were tooheavy for her to lift).

"Ohhh, this one's got spunk, eh?" the man laughed, grabbing the girl by her wrist and pulled her towards him. "I love a girl who's got spunk; makes it more fun in bed…"

"In your dreams!" she spat. "Get your grimy hands off me or--"

"Or what?" themanchuckled evilly. "Ain't no body here to help you. Now just be a good girl or else I'll have to make this harder on you." The girl's eyes widened in fear as the man drew her in closer.

"I think you better do as she says, dick-head. Otherwise, I'll be the one making this hard on _you_…"

The man looked back at the caller angrily. Jak stood behind them cooly as he looked at each of the men haughtily. At once, the othermen pulled out their guns and pointed them directly at Jak.

"Oye now, what did you say to me?" their boss called angrily.

"Don't make me have to repeat myself," Jak began to crack his knuckles dramatically. "I've had a lousy day…"

"Then it's about to get even worse for you!" the boss retorted. He motioned to his friends and they all fired at Jak. Then in happened in a flash. Jak, using his time stopper ability, dodged the bullets and went behind the man with the girl. When the time began to flow again, the other men were looking around in disbelife; the guy was no where to be seen.

"Over here, you idiots!" their bossyelled,howeverhe sounded muffled. They all turned to see Jak with his arm around the man's neck in a chocker hold. The man by now had released the girl, who stood in shock; the guy had just appeared behind them so quickly!

"If you want your boss to see another race, you get your asses out of my sight," Jak growled. The men staggeredbackwards in fear; they saw the guy's eyes turn completely black. "and if any of you even so much as _look_ at the girl, I swear you'll all be next after him."

They didn't need to be told twice. They all ran to their cars and sped away, leaving their boss in the hands of the guy with the black eyes. Jak chuckled lightly and tightened his hold on the man. At once the man began to jerk in panic; Jak released him and sent the man sprawling to the ground. The man looked up shakily to Jak.

"Guess this just isn't your lucky day," Jak said with a grin. "You better join your friends before I decide to finish the job." he made to reach for the man but by then he was already on his feet and in his car, driving away like the devil was at his heels. Jak couldn't help laugh at the sight; that was definatly what the doctor ordered...

"I didn't need your help!" the girl suddenly growled, shooting daggers at Jak with her eyes. Jak blinked in surprise at the retort.

"Say what?" he asked, turning towards her.

"I said I didn't need your help!" the girl replied, stamping her foot in anger. "I had everything under control until _you_ showed up!"

"So this is how you thank the guy who just saved your ass, kid?" Jak responded angrily.

"Don't call me kid!" the girl snapped. "I'm 18! I can take care of myself!"

"Could have fooled me..." Jak replied sardonically.

"Shut up!" she yelled, her cheeks flushing with anger. "Don't treat me like I'm just a child!

"Screw this..." he said and made his way towards his car. At once the girls anger seemed to melt away and was overcome with panic. She walked towards him slightly.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she cried out.

"You don't need my help right? You can walk yourself the rest of the way to wherever the hell you live..." he stopped and looked back at the girl with a grin. "Unless you thank me properly...then maybe I'll concider giving you a ride."

Why he was being so generous all of a sudden, he didn't know. Maybe it was the way the girl looked about their surroundings; the place where the Bloody Hook was located wasn't too bad, but the street after that was the most notorious part of Kras City known to its denizens. Especially this late at night.Or maybe it was the way her face paled as she turned back to Jak with wide, pleading eyes...

Ormaybe it was because she reminded him of himself a few years back...when he thought _he _didn't need anyone either...

Whatever it was, it seemed to have it's affect. The girl's shoulders slumped in defeat as she grabbed her bag from the floor and hoisted it up and nodded to the proposal.

"That's what I thought," Jak said,climbing into his car. "so here's what's going to happen: _You're_ going to thank me for saving your ass, then _you're_ going to tell me where you live so I can drop you off, alright?"

"Fine…" she mumbled as she climbed in as well, sitting down heavily besides him. "Thanks…for saving me…"

"Not feeling it, but I guess that will do." Jak grinned as he turned the car on and sped foreward (throwing the girl off balance). "So what do I call you, kid?"

"Disa…my name's Disa..."

"Alright, _Disa_. Lets get you home..."

They drove in silence for most of the way, but Jak noticed that Disa would stare at him from time to time; he could feel her large brown eyestrailing him, as if studying him thoroughly. He caught her staring at one point and she quickly looked away, but luckily she covered it up as he pulled into a different street.

"Here. I live here." she said, pointing towards an apartment complex. Jak pulled up to the curb and parked his car. The girl quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed her bag; he heard a series of loud clangs of metal from within it.

"You a mechanic?" he asked. A picture of Keira suddenly appeared before his eyes. He frowned slightly.

"Yeah…but I'm just an apprentice." she answered. She continued to stand near the curb, looking away bashfully.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya, Disa…" Jak began but the girl looked up quickly.

"Hey! I…uh…," she looked away again. "Really, thanks a bunch for saving me. I really didn't know what I would have done if you hadn't stepped in when you did..."

"I thought you said you had everything under control," he teased. The girl made to retort but Jak laughed and shook his head. "It's no problem. I'm glad I was able to--" he felt somethingdrip against his nose. Looking up, he felt more droplets on his face; it was beginning to rain.

_'Wonderful…and no where to go…'_ he thought sullenly. _'This just keeps getting better and better…'_

"Would you like to come inside?" Disa asked.

"Huh?"

"It's not safe to drive when it rains, especially in Kras; the roads get too slippery…"

"I don't think that's a good idea; I could be a killer or something." Jak said, half serious, half joking. "You sure you wanna risk that, Disa?"

"I'll take my chances. Besides, it's only until the rain stops...and I have to thank you somehow, right..." she said as she walked towards the apartments. She pointed towards a large metal opening. "That's the garage, so you could keep your car out of the rain," she smiled. "and don't worry, it's spacy…" and with that, she opened one of the doors to apartments and entered.

Jak sighed and put his car into reverse so that he could get it into the garage. Quite honestly, Disa wasn't kidding. It was spacey, almost like the garage in the hotel he was staying.

Kras really was all about racing.

He jumped out of his car and made for the apartment (the rain began to pour harder) which wasn't hard to find, since her place was the only one with lights on. He made to knock, when Disa opened the door and motioned for him to enter. At once, Jak was thankful for the offer; he was surrounded by warmth that comforted him and made him feel at ease (the closest he's been those three weeks he's been there). Though simple, it was quite homely. They had a large brown sofa and armchair with a small coffee table in the middle. There were no pictures, which he found strange, but thought nothing of it when Disa appeared in the room.

"Make yourself at home." she said, two cups in her hands. She sat upon the table between the kitchen and the livingroomand Jak sat across from her, taking the cup she offered to him.

"Thanks…"

"No prob...and thanks again...really..." she drank from her cup shyly. "I shouldn't have been out this late you know...but I had stuff to do...important stuff..."

"Guess so…" he said as he sipped the contents. It was a blandish sort of tea that needed a bit more sugar, but warmed him up non the less (he was wishing for a beer thought...). "You live here alone?"

"Nah. I live with…my cousin…" a blush formed on her face as she sipped her drink. "He and I work at the same place, but I leave earlier than he does...he usually closes. He should be home anytime--"

Suddenly there were a series of loud knocks on the door; Jak saw Disa's expression turn sour.

"--soon. Oh great…. And I was hoping that they would have been asleep by now…" she said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Who?" Jak asked.

"Just…_neighbors_…." Disa sighed, heading for the door. When she opened it (rather half heartedly) Jak saw that there were three young women, no older than he was. They all carried in their hands some sort of food, wrapped up nicely in pink and red colored cellophane. He also noticed that all the women were dressed rather seductively for just bringing food (he also noticed that the rain had stopped).

"Hi Disa." the girl in the middle said sweetly (almost too sweetly for Jak's taste). I… and the girls, thought we'd bring you and Glin something to eat."

"It's midnight... and we still have food from yesterday," Disa replied stoically. "so I think we're good…"

"Oh no! That food is too old!"the girl on the left exclaimed shrilly. "Glin shouldn't--I mean--you would get sick if you ate day old food!"

"Not to mention that our food is freash; right out of the oven." the girl on the right added.

"I'm sure Glin and I will be _fine_."Disa replied, emphasizing her meaning. Jak saw the women's expression turn from sweet to sour. Jak leaned in slightly;the tension between them was as thick as yakow milk."So you can take your over cooked TV dinners and shove them up your--"

"Disa. What did I tell you about being nice to the neighbors?" a soft male voice said from behind the women.

Jak quickly noticed that at once, their faces turned as bright as the red cellophane and they all turned simultaneously to the man behind them. From what he could see, the guy looked to be about his age, maybe a year older... but the sight of this newcomer confused him. His hair was as white as snow; a lock of hair hung over the right side of his face, leaving the left open. He had a scar running over the left eye, which was grey and somewhat cold; Jak found them uncomfortable to look at. (He also saw that the rain had stopped somewhat)

"Glin!" the women exclaimed sweetly. Disa slumped against the door slightly but said nothing. The man nodded as he maneuvered his way through the three women (Jak noticed that the man held his right arm rather stiffly)until he was at his doorstep. His face looked of one who was annoyed to the fullest extent of his being, before turning back to the women (his expression changing into a kind smile).

"Ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure for this nightly visit?" he asked gallantly.

"Oh, we were just passing by--" the girlon the rightbegan.

"_'Passing by'_ my ass," Disa muttered. "When is staring out the window at midnight _'passing by'_..." Glin shot the girl a quick glare; Disa disappeared inside the house and sank into the chiar opposite of Jak.

"--and thought you'd like some of our home cooked meals."

"Ah, so thoughtful, as always. You never fail to enlighten me with your delicious meals, but you needn't go to all the trouble, especially under such dull weather; Disa and I are fully capable of feeding ourselves, you know."

"Oh! But we don't mind, Glin!"the girl in the middle said breathlessly.

"Yes!"the girl on the left jumped in. "I mean, a bachelor like yourself shouldn't have to bother to cook when we three--"

"--single--" the girl on the right added.

"--and willing--" the girl on the left added again.

"--women are here, at your service…" the girl in the middle leaned in provocatively. "…in _any_ way…"

"I'll keep that in mind." Glin replied, taking the three dishes from the women; each looked startled as his hand brushed theirs slightly. "Thank you once again; I'll see you next time. Have a good night" and without another word, he closed the door. The three women looked to each other ecstatically as they walked away.

Once the door was shut, Glin sighed heavily and leaned his head against the door, holding the dishes out mechanically. Disa took them and went towards the kitchen. To Jak, it looked almost routine. And then he saw why the man named Glin held his right arm stiffly; his right arm was metal.

"I swear, Glin. Why don't you just tell them off?" Disa said from the kitchen.

"Because one of them happens to be the daughter of the landlord; one word from her, and we will be thrown out into the streets." he looked up from the door. "So please do your part and be nice to them, Disa."

"Kinda hard if they keep coming over with offerings. I still don't see why we don't live with--"

"I didn't know we had a guest?" Glin cut in, fixing Jak with an inquisitive stare.

"Oh!" Disa poked her head out from the kitchen, her face bright. Glin set his tools on the table, his grey eye locked on Jak, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That's right! Um…" Disa shuffled out of the kitchen. "He…saved me today. I was on my way home when these jerks started harassing me… He doesn't seem like a bad guy, and it started to rain so I invited him in and--"

"Hmm, you look familiar" Glin said, ignoring Disa's explanation as he stared closer at Jak's face. His eye widened in surprise. "You're that racer from--"

"I knew you looked familiar!" Disa exclaimed, her turn to interject, her eyes bright with excitement. "You won the Krac City Grand Championship! You're Jak!"

Jak chuckled lightly as he nodded. Disa nearly leaped into the air as she squealed in delight. Glin continued to stare at Jak; his expression was that of surprise and…sadness?

"You never asked his name, did you?" Glin said, shaking his head; Disa ignored his statement.

"Oh Mar! I was saved by the Kras City Champion!" she squealed. "This is so awesome! _YOU'RE_ so awesome! I was even in_ your_ car! Oh Mar! You _have_ to teach me some of your moves! I have a race coming up and--"

"Disa!" Glin turned his sharp eye to her, causing the girl to jump slightly. "Disa, what _exactly_ were you doing out so late tonight?" Disa flushed deeply and an expression of guilt spread through her face. "Disa?"

"I...that is...uh..."

Glin sighed heavily. "You went to fix that race car of yours didn't you? I knew something was suspicious tonight; Nik said a few of his good tools were missing..."

"But Glin--"

"You know how I feel about you racing..." Glin cut in as he touched his metal arm absently. "Even after you've seen first hand what can be lost when racing…"

Disa bowed her head in shame. Glin sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Glin…" Disa began, but Glin held up his hand to silence her.

"I… don't want to hear it; it's late. Go to your room…"

"Glin, I--"

"We'll discuss this in the morning, Disa. Good night."

Disa clenched her fist angrily and stormed out of the room, making to sure to make a much noise as possible. As they heard her bedroom door slam, Glin sighed and turned to Jak. "I thank you for saving her. She's a good girl, she really is. But sometimes, she gets this notion in her head that she's invincible…"

"I can see that," Jak chuckled. "You used to race?"

"Yes... but that's was a long time ago…" Glin touched his metal arm absently. He smiled slightly. "You know first hand how it can be on the tracks. Racing is a _'no mercy'_ sport. Something Kras City is known for…I wouldn't want Disa to experience something like that; it would traumatize her..."

"You're just looking out for her…" Jak acknowledged.

"As an older brother should…" Glin added. He got up from his seat and went towards the kitchen. Jak tilted his head in confusion.

_'Brother? Disa said he was her cousin, didn't she?'_

When Glin returned, he had the plates of food the women brought in his hands and two beers (wishes really do come true). He placed them on the table and opened the one nearest him. "Even though it's late, I always seem to have a appetite," he passed a plate over to Jak. "Help yourself. Mar knows how many of these I have in the fridge…ah…" Jak saw his face fall a bit. "Another heart shaped casserole…"

"You seem very popular?" Jak chuckled, pulling a plate towards him. He pulled the cellophane from it and saw that this one was also heart shaped, but it was a pasta. He pushed it away; just looking at it made him sick. He grabbed the beer instead and drank it; the fight with thosethugs was a real buzz kill.

"Unfortuantely…" Glin forked through the casserole. "Though I will not deny that I am flattered by their attention... but it seems that their attention is going from _'adoring'_ to _'stalking'_..."

"Comes with the territory." Jak laughed. Glin laughed as well and grabbed one of the beers. With his metal arm, he popped the lid open like it was nothing and drank deeply from it. Then he turned his attention to the plate of food and began to eat, to Jak's surprise, rather ravenously. Soon, all three plates were cleaned.

During this time, Jak's eyes contined to fall upon Glin's arm. It amazed him that the prosthetic moved like an original arm, so fluid in it's movements; if Glin had worn a long sleeved shirt, he probably wouldn't have noticed that it was metal.

"You're…from Haven City, right?" Glin said, breaking the silence.

"You could say that...Why?" Jak asked, pulling away from his thoughts. Glin was staring at his plate thoughtfully until he began to gather them and rose from the table.

"No...it's nothing…"he replied as he headed towards the kitchen. He stopped midway and looked out of the window near the entrance.

"Ah, it's raining again. Something tells me that it won't be stopping anytime soon either…" Glin turned towards Jak. "Why don't you stay the night?"

"I couldn't…" Jak began, but Glin waved off Jaks refusal as he disappeared into the kitchen and came back out again, heading towards the closet where he pulled out a blanket and a pillow.

"Nonsense! Everyone knows that when it rains in Kras, it pours! The streets are not a safe place for drivers. And all the puddles you'll have to drive through will get your engine shot." he dropped the pillow and blanket on the couch and began to prepare Jak sleeping arrangement. Jak was silent as Glin smoothed out the covers.

"You trust me?" Jak asked quizzically, breaking the silence. "Even though we've only just met..."

Glin chuckled lightly and shook his head. "You saved Disa…there aren't a lot of people in Kras who would have done what you did…the least I can do is let you stay the night... Besides," he looked up from the couch and stared directly at Jak. "There's something familiar about you that reminded me of a time long ago when someone did the same for me. In a way, you can say that I'm only returning a favor..."

"Familiar? How so?"

"Ah, it's nothing, nothing." Glin replied, waving his metal hand in the air dismissingly. He crossed the living room and headed to where Disa had disappeared to, no doubt where his room was. "I will see you in the morning, Jak. Have a good rest…" and with that, disappeared into the hallway. Jak heard a door open and then close softly. Jak looked at the couch and realized that he _did _feel tired, almost exhausted. He pulled off his boots and folded his jacket, placing it besides him as he settled himself in the couch. No sooner had his head touched the pillow that he fell fast asleep.

In another room, Glin was sitting on the edge of his bed, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed in anxiety as the rain spattered against the window...memories flooding into his mind...

And his heart…

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

Ashelin woke up to the sound of Torn snoring in his sleep. Blearily, she leaned on her elbows to sit herself up as she looked over at the sleeping Commander, a smile forming on her lips. It always amazed her that she would be waking up next to him; they've gone through so much together…

She sat up completely and pulled her knees up to her chest, watching the sleeping mans' chest rise and fall peacefully. She traced the tattoos on his face with her eyes, following them as they flowed down to his neck, his chest, his arms…

She sighed dreamily and looked towards the window; she could see rain drops stream down the window pane.

It was raining that day too…

_'Glin…'_

She looked to Torn again; he had shifted in his sleep, causing some of the dreadlocks to fall across his stern face. She smiled to herself as she lightly moved them from his face, tucking them behind his ear; even in sleep he looked like he was stressing over something; he mumbled incoherently but did not wake.

She didn't love Glin; she had feelings for him; a simple crush of a 12-year-old, but compared to the feelings she developed for Torn…there really was no comparison.

But a year ago, she found that she was not completely over that crush. She thought those feelings for Glin were buried deep within her...but they were reopened when….

When she had met Jak.

Jak reminded her so much of Glin. His valor, his cool smile, his sincerity, his I'll-never-give-up-so-back-the-fuck-off attitude... They were so alike; that was why she suddenly became so attached to Jak… and those feelings came flooding back…

So when she kissed Jak after he defeated Errol and the Dark Makers, she realized that she wasn't kissing _Jak_, she was kissing _Glin_…

However, that crush almost cost her the love of the man that was lying besides her…

She remembered how hurt Torn was when he found out about the kiss. While they rebuilt Haven City, Torn did everything he could to avoid her. That infuriated her, and at the same time, it scared her; if she lost Torn... what would she have left? It took a lot of _'coincidental'_meetings until she and Torn were able to talk...

"I'm..."

Ashelin turned towards Torn; he was still asleep, but his usual stressed out expression had changed to one of total sadness. He mumbled and turned on his back. She leaned in slightly to hear what he was saying.

"...sorry...Glin..."

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

_"Hey Wiel, which one was it again?"_

_"The one in the middle…"_

_"So then why are we parked half a block from there?"_

_"Because we'd end up waking the fucker up with the car, idiot!"_

_"Will you two shut the fuck up! You'll wake up the whole Mar-damned block! This is supposed to be a covert mission remember?"_

_"So, how are we gonna do this, Chol?"_

_"We raid the place and shoot the fucker before he even gets out of bed..."_

_"But, Wiel...I heard this guy was...dangerous..."_

_"Not as dangerous as I'm gonna be if you don't shut the fuck up! Chol, pass that gun. It's time..."_

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

"Jak..."

Jak opened his eyes blearily. Glin was standing over him, but his eyes were focused near the door. To Jak, he looked like an alert crocadog.

"What's going on?" he asked, sitting up.

"I have no time to explain; I need you to take Disa as far away from here as--"

A shot rang out and instinctively, Glin and Jak fell to the floor. Another shot and this one went through the window, smashing the glass so that the shards poured over them like rain.

"Shit! What the hell?" Jak exclaimed.

"Glin?" Disa had appeared. The first shot had woken her up and she ran out of her room, butstopped when the second shot rang out. Thinking the coast was clear, she entered the living room. Glin quickly grabbed her and brought her down in time as another shot rang out. "Glin? What's happening?"

"All of us, into the hallway! Quick!" Glin yelled. He pushed Disa slightly to get her moving. Jak followed behind them until they were in the hallway. Glin sat up and leaned against the wall, grabbing his arm in pain. He looked towards Jak.

"Both of you, get out...in my room, through the window. It's close to the garage. Sneak in and drive far from here..."

"But what about you?" Jak asked.

"I can handle them. It's me they're after."

"But Glin, what about your con--" Disa began.

"Don't worry about _that,_" He said quickly, silencing her. "Just get to Nik's and wait for me there," he placed a hand on her head playfully and smiled; Disa didn't smile back. "Be a good girl and do as I say, alright?"

Disa nodded. She crawled towardsGlin's room and disappeared inside it.

"I'll go with you. I can help." Jak jumped in as Glin made to leave.

"I doubt that..." Glin muttered ominously. "My friend, Nik, lives a few blocks from here, straight ahead...take her there..."

"You can't take on those guys alone," Jak said, grabbing Glin's metal arm, but pulledit back quickly. The arm was hot, as if something was burning inside it. Regardless, Jaklocked his eyes with Glin. "I'm going to help whether you like it or not..."

Glin only chuckled and looked away.

"You're... just as stubborned as _she _is..."

"Who?"

Glin looked back to Jak. His eyes softened slightly.

"Valere..."

"What?" Jak retorted. He made to ask more when he heard the door being kicked in by one of the assailents. Glin was quick to his feet and began to run towards the aggressors without a second thought. Jak made to follow when he heard Disa whimper loudly from Glin's room. Mentally cursing himself, he ran into Glin's room, pulling Disa put to her feet and led her out the back window. The moment they stepped foot outside they ran towards the garage. Fromwhat Glin could see, there were three men standing outside of Glin's door, gun in hand.Just as one man seemed to have spotted them, Glin leaped out of the house and onto oneof the men. The man, in surprise, drew back and fired intot he air. Disa screamed but Jak kept dragging her until they were inhis car. He quickly started it

"Hang on!"he yelled as he zoomed past the scene. Glin was fighting with one of the men but that was all he could see as they blurred on by. Disa was crying now as she continued to look towards the scene, even though she could not see it anymore. Suddenly, Jak came to an abrupt stop.

"You know how to drive, right Disa?" he asked. Disa nodded.

"Yes, but--"

"Good. Get yourself to that Nik guysplace and stay there. I'm going to help Glin."

Jak jumped out of the car and began to race back towards the fight. Disa only watched as Jak disappeared into the night.

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

Jak raced faster towards the fight, his heart racing, the dark side of him rising. A loud cry of pain echoed throughout the sky and Jak ran faster; he had to help Glin… he had to find out what he knew about Valere. The rain was beginning to fall again, and this time it was harder, as if trying to stop him. When he neared the apartment, he sawone of themen lying on the street, his eyes open in a dead glaze as his blood ran freely from an open wound; a clean slit across his throat.

"What the…" Jak began, studying the gash, but another cry echoed through the air, this one more painful than the first. He leap to his feet, following the cry. Once again he spotted another body, another man, laying face down in a crimson puddle of blood and rain; more gashes. Jak's eyes grew wide, not in fear, but in realization; he knew those gashes looked familiar…

Because he had delivered gashes like that himself…

When under his Darker Self….

"PLEASE! HAVE MERCY! PLEASE!"

With a start, Jak ran faster until he came upon a gruesome sight. Glin's skin was grey and his eyes were pitch black; horns poking out from his already white hair. But what scared him the most was his expression. It was of pure hate, of pure evil...

Glin had lifted the last thug off his feet, his metallic arm gleaming in the little moon light the rain clouds allowed as his hand clutched at the mans throat. The man was pulling at the metallic hand, clawing at it; his face began to turn blue; he tried feebly to kick at the monster, but Glin was oblivious to the attack; his dark eye only glistened in fury and pleasure as he watched the man die slowly in his grasp.

"GLIN!" Jak yelled. That caught his attention; Glin shot his glare at Jak as the man's hands were tearing feebly at the hand now. "LET HIM GO! HE'S NO THREAT TO YOU ANYMORE!"

Dark Glin regarded Jak thoughtfully and slowly began to set the man on his feet, letting his grasp on his neck wane; the man gasped for air and began his struggle again with vigor.

"That's it," Jak sighed. "now let him--" his's eyes widened in horror.

A sinister grin quickly spread across Dark Glin's face and with his clawed hand, he shot through the man's stomach; the man looked stunned by the turn of events as Glin pulled his claws out slowly, blood and bits of entrails dripping from them unto the ground. The man looked down at his stomach and fell forward; it seemed the realization killed him.

"NO!" Jak screamed. Dark Glin laughed evilly unto the sky as he raised his bloody hands above his head, but suddenly his maniacal laughter stopped abruptly and his face went blank. His hands dropped to his side and he looked towards Jak; Jak could see horror etch across Glin's face. Jak took a step towards him.

"Glin--"

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Glin yelled, holding up his hand. "STAY AWAY! PLEASE!" he staggered further from Jak, as if having some sort of inner battle. "GET AWAY FROM ME! AS FAR AS YOU CAN!"

"GLIN!"

Disa came out of nowhere, a small vile in her hand as she shot past Jak and was racing towards Glin.

"Disa!" Jak grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "What are you doing? You can't go near him now!"

"No! He needs me! Let go!" Disa exclaimed, pulling at Jak's hold.

"No! He's not stable under this condition!"

"You don't understand! Just let--" Jak pulled her backwards, causing her to lose her grip on the vile; it fell to ground, shattering; what seeped from the shattered vile was light eco. Glin turned when he heard the vile shatter; his dark eye widened in horror as he saw that trace of white eco seep into the ground and wash away by the rain.

"NO!" he yelled. Disa looked back at Jak, her eyes narrowed angrily; she was crying.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea of what you just did!"

"What--"

"He needed that!" Disa exclaimed, pointing down at the shattered vile. "That light eco is the only thing that calms him down! Without it, he'll stay like that! Do you understand!" and with that, she fell to the ground, crying. Glin yelled angrily, slicing down a nearby pole. Jak stood silently as the events before him continued.

"Don't worry. I can help him…" he finally said.

Disa looked up from the ground.

"Wha--" her eyes widened in shock as she saw Jak levitate into the air; she shielded her eyes as a bright light erupted from him; when she could focus, Jak was now Light Jak, his tentical-like wings folding gently against his back. Disa starred in fascination and surprise as Light Jak walked over to the rampaging Glin. As Glin heard him approaching, he growled in a feral fashion and when Light Jak neared closer, he leaped upon him. With a fluid movement, Light Jak moved out of range and was now behind him. Glin turned towards Light Jak quickly; Light Jak saw this his face looked strangely weak and he seemed to be breathing heavily. As Glin roared, ready to attack, Light Jak shot out his hand, placing his palm on Glin's forehead. The light around him grew brighter as the light eco flowed from his palm into Glin and watched as his saw Glin's skin turn from that sickly grey to his natural tone; the claws descended into his hands and his canines grew shorter, yet very slightly; the horns slowly sinking back into his skull. Glin's hands dropped to his side as his face drooped weakly and when Light Jak pulled his hand away, Glin fell forward into his arms.

"Thank… you…" he heard Glin whisper weakly before going unconscious. Disa leaped to her feet as Light Jak gathered the unconscious Glin in his arms, and walked over to her. Disa stopped short; Light Jak smiled and nodded, as if saying, 'It's okay. Don't be afraid…' then suddenly, the light around him grew dim and his wings disappeared, leaving behind the same Jak from earlier. Disa came forward, lightly touching Glin's face. She looked up at Jak, tears forming in her eyes.

"You're just like him, aren't you? You're just like Glin…"

"We have to get Glin somewhere," Jak interrupted, looking down at Glin; his breathing got worse "you have any ideas?"

"The Garage," Disa answered. "That's where Nik and Chett live. They can help..."

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK,KNOCK..._

That pounding...it was so annoying...

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK,KNOCK..._

Why wouldn't it stop...who could it be? And why now, of all nights to bebothered, why now?

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK,KNOCK..._

Ah... the only way to get it to stop would have to be to answer the door; Chett, that lazy boy of his...he should be the one to answer it, not him... but that boy slept like a rock, and once he was out, he was out...

A light blue haired man opened the door slightly and looked out with sleepy brown eyes.

"No, my garage isn't open. Come back tom--"his eyes widened as he finally recognized the sopping wet girl before him. He opened the door wider, a puzzled expression across his face. "Disa? What are you doing here so late at--" he looked over at the man that was standing next to Disa and spotted Glin in his arms. "By the Precursors! Glin!" he exclaimed as he stepped aside and hurried them in, shutting the door. "Get him into my room, quickly!" he said, pointing towards the hallway. A sleepy looking Chett poked his head out from the doorway; upon seeing Glin in the arms of the Kras City Champion, his sleepiness went away as he watched the man disappear into Nik's room.

"H-hey, what's going on?" he asked as Nik walked past him.

"Chett, tend to Disa won't you? She's soaked to the bone!" Nik said as he disappeared inside his room as well. Chett looked around until he spotted Disa as she stood in the hallway, an expression of total shock.

"Disa?" Chett hurried out of his room, grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping it around Disa. "Disa, what's happened? Are you okay? Talk to me, Dis'!"

"I...I couldn't help him, Chett..." she turned her wide eyes towards Chett. "I couldn't...I..." without warning, Disa began to sob uncontrollably and threw herself into Chetts arms. All the baffled teen could do, was wrap his arms around the sobbing girl and wait...

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**"Torn…

"Torn...Torn,get up..."

Torn grunted in reply and opened a bleary blue eye, to see that Ashelin was standing over him, fully clothed.

"Ashe'? What's going on?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with base of the palm of his hand. "What time is it?"

"Early. Now get up." she answered and disappeared from sight. Torn grunted lazily as he rose from the bed. Before he had time to stretch, a bundle of his clothes were thrown into his face to which he let out a muffled gasp of surprise. Before he could protest, Ashelin added, "Get dressed. We've only got an hour to head to the harbor that leads to Kras…"

"Kras?" Torn pulled his pants up and buckled them, then pulled his shirt over his head. "What are you talking about, Ashelin?"

"We're going with Jak."

"Is that a good idea?" Torn stated, folding his arms across his chest. "He said he wanted to do this on his own. Who are we to interfere?"

"We're not interfering when it's something that we're searching for too " she replied. Torn face was as stoic as always, but she could see his brows furrowed anxiously. She sighed and sat on the bed; Torn sat down next to her. "I...want to see her...If he finds her…I want to see Valere..." she bit her lip. "We can't run from it forever...It's timethat we face our past…"

"But what is there to be gained?" Torn asked.

"I don't know… closure…forgiveness..." she replied. She grabbed Torn's hand and squeezed it gently. "anything is better than running away…"

"Are you sure, Ashe'?" Torn asked, his expression calm, but his eyes betrayed his worry. "It might not turn out the way you plan…hell, if anything, it might just make things worse," he leaned in closely and touched his forehead with hers. "are you prepared for that, Ashelin. If it doesn't turn out the way you hope?"

"Yeah…I'm ready…"

**vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

_**NekoKuria:** "Alright! This story is finally going underway. I swear, the next chapters are all revelation, revelation, revelation!"_


	7. NEKO NOTE X3

"Ack. It has been such a long time since I've uploaded anything. I don't even know if my story is still living. I would like to hope so. School has been a pain and I haven't been able to work on anything. If anyone would like me to continue my story, plz leave a message and I'll get to it immediately!"

Sincerely,

**_Neko Kurai Chan_** **X3**


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